The present disclosure relates to patient support apparatuses such as hospital beds. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to patient support apparatuses including support surfaces, such as hospital bed mattresses, adapted to influence the temperature and/or moisture of a patient's skin as the patient lies on the surface.
Patients lying on patient support surfaces, for periods of time may be susceptible to the development of pressure ulcers (also known as decubitus ulcers or bed sores). The formation of pressure ulcers may be reduced by controlling the temperature and/or moisture at the interface of a patient's skin with the surface. Microclimate systems have been developed to influence the temperature and/or moisture at the interface of a patient's skin with a surface. Sometimes, operation of microclimate systems may be difficult for a caregiver who must provide inputs to the microclimate system based on subjective and sometimes infrequent patient assessments.